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These homemade chicken stock recipes will turn your chicken soup into a gourmet experience!
Your family and friends will taste the difference and it is not as difficult as you might think!
Here are 3 stock recipes:
Hints and Tips for making chicken stock
- All the ingredients must be clean and of good quality.
- Use a heavy-based saucepan with a well-fitting lid if you are not fortunate enough to own a stock pot.
- First cook the bones and meat, and then add any vegetables you are using. As soon as the vegetables are cooked, they will start absorbing flavour from the stock instead of contributing. Do not leave them in the liquid for too long after the stock is cooked.
- Cut the vegetables to be used in the recipe into large chunks.
- You do not want one flavour to dominate the chicken stock, so use a balanced mixture of vegetables.
- If green leafy vegetables are cooked for too long, they will give the stock a bitter taste, so do not use too many of them and do not cook them in the stock for too long. For this reason use parsley stems without leaves if you are using parsley in the chicken stock recipe.
- Herbs best suited to a homemade chicken stock recipe are the woody ones that stand up to the long cooking time needed for a really hearty stock: sprigs of marjoram, tarragon and thyme as well as bay leaves.
- A slice of lemon or pared lemon rind will add a hint of a tang to the recipe.
- Onion or tomato skins will give your stock a strong golden colour and extra flavour when making a brown stock recipe.
- Cut chicken meat with bones and carcass bones into 2.5 cm (1 inch) chunks so that more of the bone is exposed to the liquid and the gelatin can be released more easily.
- Scoop off the scum that forms during the cooking process, this keeps the stock clear.
- Ingredients that contain starch like potato will make the chicken stock cloudy, so use sparingly or rather not at all.
- Strain your chicken stock into a clean container as soon as it is cooked. Lining a sieve with 2 layers of muslin clothe or even cotton wool and then straining the stock through it will give you a clear stock.
- Refrigerate the stock for 6 to 8 hours. The fat will settle on the surface. Remove the fat before covering and storing.
- Chicken stock can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days or frozen and stored for 2 – 3 months. Stock stored in a freezer will start to lose its flavour if stored for longer.
- Chicken feet are an excellent ingredient for these recipes as they are full of gelatin. Cover the feet with boiling water for 5 minutes, and skin before adding them.
- A small amount of chicken stock can be made by using the giblets from the bird. Add enough water to just cover them, flavour with onion and seasoning and simmer for 1 hour.
- Do not add too much salt to your chicken stock (I find it better to just leave it out); it is to be used in other chicken recipes with their own seasoning requirements.
- A slow cooker or crock pot is ideal for these chicken stock recipes.
- Once the chicken stock is done, you can boil it rapidly to reduce it, concentrating the flavour and reducing the amount of space it will take up in the freezer.
- How to make your own “chicken stock cubes”: Reduce the chicken stock to concentrate the flavour, then cool and freeze it in ice-trays. The frozen stock cubes can then be stored in freezer bags and used individually.
Preparation Time : 10 min
Cooking Time: 2 ½ hours
Yields: 1.5 to 1.75 litres (2 ½ -3 pints)
Recipe Ingredients
- 2kg (4 ½ pounds) Chicken carcasses, trimmings, gizzards, necks, feet etc.
- 2.75 litres (5 pints) water
- 3 strips of lemon rind
- 3 carrots chopped into 2.5cm (1 inch) chunks
- 3 onions each stuck with a clove
- 3 celery sticks chopped into 2.5cm (1 inch) chunks
- 1 leek halved lengthways
- Bouquet garni for stock (5 parsley stems without leaves, a sprig or 2 of thyme and one bay leaf tied together in a piece of muslin with string)
- 8 peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon salt
Method
- Chop the carcasses and necks into 2.5 cm chunks.
- If gizzards are used, trim away the tough skin
- Halve any hearts used and slice any meat.
- If chicken feet are used, cover with boiling water for 5 min and skin them.
- Place Chicken bits and bobs into the stock pot.
- Add the water, lemon, bouquet garni and peppercorns.
- Bring to the boil, skim and then simmer for 1.5 hours, skimming occasionally.
- Add the vegetables and simmer for 1 more hour
- Season with the salt or to taste (optional).
- Strain and chill for 8 hours, remove any fat that forms on top.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze.
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Preparation time: 10 min
Roasting time: 30 min
Cooking time 2½ hours
Yields: 1.5 to 1.75 litres (2 ½ - 3 pints)
Pre-heat oven to 200 deg Celcius 400 F gasmark 6
Recipe Ingredients
- 2kg (4 ½ pounds) chicken backs, wings and legs cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) chunks
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2.75 litres (5 pints) boiling water
- 2 onions quartered
- 2 leeks halved
- 3 carrots chopped into 2.5cm (1 inch) chunks
- 2 sticks of celery cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) chunks
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig of fresh majoram or ¼ teaspoon dried
- 1 sprig of tarragon or ¼ teaspoon dried
- 6 peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon salt
Method
- Place the chicken and onions in a roasting pan and sprinkle with the oil.
- Roast for 30mins, stir around and turn after 15 min.
- Place roasted chicken and onions in stock pot.
- Add some of the water to the roasting pan and de-glaze it and add to the stock pot.
- Add the rest of the water, herbs and pepper.
- Bring to the boil, skim and then simmer for 1.5 hours, skimming occasionally.
- Add the vegetables and simmer for 1 more hour.
- Season with the salt or to taste.
- Strain and chill for 8 hours, remove any fat that forms on top.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze.
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This chicken stock recipe is made with a whole chicken and has a very distinctive flavour.
Use it for Chinese and other eastern style cooking see the Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe and the Hot and Sour Chicken Soup recipe.
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking Time 2¼ hours
Yields : 2 litres (3 ½ pints)
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken
- 3 litres (5¼ pints) cold water
- 2 or 3 slices fresh green ginger
- 2 or 3 strips of lime rind
- 6 spring onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon salt
Method
- Place the chicken in the stock pot.
- Add the water and bring to the boil.
- Add the ginger and spring onions and simmer covered for 2 hours.
- Occasionally skim off the any scum that might form.
- Strain and save the chicken meat for another use.
- Chill for 8 hours; remove any fat that forms on top.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze.
- This chicken stock can be concentrated by boiling it further until it is reduced by half.
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